News Flashes

With the rise of big data,the database and data management tools market is in a state of flux, the likes of which have not been seen in this sector before. Companies are now awash in big data, and end users are demanding greater capability and integration to mine and analyze new sources of information. As a result, organizations are supplementing their relational database environments with new platforms and approaches that address the variety and volume of information being handled.

Big data and cloud analytics vendor Kognitio has partnered with Xtremeinsights, a provider of solutions for leveraging Hadoop in existing data management systems. Together, the partners aim to deliver software and integration technologies to businesses that want to leverage the Hadoop platform and gain actionable insights from their big data. Using its in-memory analytical platform, Kognitio speeds up the analysis of data from Hadoop clusters, enabling ad hoc, real-time analytics at a significantly lower cost. "Xtremeinsights can build the underlying infrastructure so that your business users can do ad hoc analysis on ridiculous amounts of data and get answers in real-time," Michael Hiskey, Kognitio's vice president of marketing and business development, tells DBTA.

Data management provider Actian has announced the upcoming release of its Hadoop Data Connector, which will increase performance and make analysis of Hadoop data more affordable for businesses and enterprises. With bi-directional data integration, Actian Vectorwise optimizes the analysis of Hadoop data, providing enterprises with actionable information for business decisions. The Hadoop Data Connector allows businesses to alternate between running quick, interactive queries in Vectorwise and running large-scale Hadoop data analysis.

Certes Networks, a developer of network and cloud encryption solutions, has announced that its Virtual Certes Enforcement Point (vCEP) for cloud security has achieved VMware Ready status. This designation indicates that the vCEP has undergone detailed test procedures and is supported on VMware vSphere 5 for production environments.

Learn how in-memory technology works, where it is being used and its advantages in this special August 9th webcast. Led by DBTA columnist and Unisphere Research analyst Joseph McKendrick, moderated by Tom Wilson, president of DBTA and Unisphere Research, and sponsored by Tableau Software, the webcast will provide the opportunity to gain a better understanding of this emerging technology that is changing the way organizations can work with big data and helping them achieve agile business intelligence.

Data integration software vendor Informatica has announced Informatica Cloud Summer 2012, the latest release of its cloud-based data integration service, which seeks to build out the cloud integration platform and make it easier to use. New features such as Cloud Integration Templates, productivity assets on the Cloud Integration Developer site, increased native cloud connectors, and expanded support for Informatica Cloud Data Loader Service make cloud integration more consumable and manageable than before.

Progress Software has released DataDirect Connect for ADO.NET 4.0, the most recent version of its suite of ADO.NET data providers that includes 100% managed code and eliminates the need for database client libraries. With support for Microsoft Entity Framework, Visual Studio Lightswitch, and expanded enterprise capabilities, developers can quickly and easily create, deploy and manage mission-critical desktop and Cloud applications.

Think About It

Big data is one of the most significant industry disruptors in IT today. Even in its infancy, it has shown significant ROI and has almost universal relevance to a wide cross-section of the industry. Why? Big data turns traditional information architecture on its head, putting into question commonly accepted notions of where and how data should be aggregated, processed, analyzed, and stored. Enter Hadoop and NoSQL, the open source data-crunching platform. Although these technologies are hotter than an Internet IPO, you simply can't ignore your current investments - those investments in SQL which drive everything from your data warehouse to your ERP, CRM, SCM, HCM and custom applications.